While most people believe LinkedIn to be just an online CV, if used properly it could be much more.
LinkedIn may be one of the less talked about platforms on the Internet but for professionals, it could play a very important role in improving your career if the right strategies are used.
As a job seeker or a consultant, maximizing LinkedIn could be a good way to boost your digital presence and build a personal brand. While 5 strategies alone are not enough to completely help you maximize your LinkedIn profile, these 5 strategies are the most important and are guaranteed to bring results.
1. Compose a profile that makes you stand out
Fill out all the areas and provide all the necessary information that showcases your skills or qualifications as much as possible. Your summary should also be brief and straight to the point outlining what industry you belong to and your career goals.
You can also browse through leaders and influencers in your career field to see examples of how best to update your LinkedIn profile.
2. Frequently produce valuable content
LinkedIn allows you to publish regular posts and write articles which can be shared on the platform. Also, you can share video updates which preferably should be recordings of educational themed videos or content related to your career.
This shows your eagerness and passion about your career path and the industry you are in.
Read Also: 5 things you need to do to rock your next job interview
3. Interact and grow your network
Connecting your e-mails and other social accounts will help you grow your existing network through peers using other mediums. Also reaching out to former colleagues of yours, fellow students, teachers, and people you've met at conferences is also another great way to grow your network.
You can also join LinkedIn groups and interact with people. Comment on discussions, share topics on your own feed, mention other team members.
4. Make the most of the recommendations features
LinkedIn supports both endorsements and recommendations. Recommendations work better than job references as they are public and connected to a specific profile on LinkedIn. This is highly valuable and those may come from former colleagues, managers, teachers, or other peers that you have worked with.
Endorsements don’t carry as much weight but could be helpful when you want to showcase expertise in a certain area.
5. Monitor news and updates
This is a crucial part of maximizing the use of your LinkedIn profile as even with the most well thought out profiles if the user does not monitor news or updates they may end up missing out on opportunities.
Following companies and startups which you have interest in working with or it is a great way to ensure that you are one of the first people to receive updates like job openings. Other press releases or industry news may be helpful as well.